Washington National Opera leaving Kennedy Center after Trump upset
In perhaps the most decisive criticism yet of President Trump’s revival of the Kennedy Center, the board of directors of the Washington National Opera on Friday approved a decision to leave the venue it has occupied since 1971.
“Today, Washington National Opera announced its decision to amicably terminate its affiliation agreement early with the Kennedy Center and continue its operations as a fully independent, nonprofit organization,” the company said. he said. Associated Press.
Roma Daravi, the Kennedy Center’s vice president for public affairs, called the relationship with the Washington National Opera “financially challenging.”
“After careful consideration, we have made the difficult decision to part ways with WNO due to a financially challenging relationship,” Daravi said in a statement. “We believe this represents the best path forward for both organizations and allows us to make responsible choices that support the financial stability and long-term future of the Trump Kennedy Center.”
Kennedy Center President Ambassador Richard Grenell he tweeted He wrote that the call was made by the Kennedy Center and that its leadership “approached Opera leadership with this idea last year and they began to be open to it.”
“Having an exclusive relationship was extremely expensive and limiting in terms of choice and variety,” Grenell wrote. “We spent millions of dollars supporting Washington Opera’s exclusivity, and yet millions of dollars were left hanging, and it’s getting worse.”
WNO’s decision to vacate the Kennedy Center’s 2,364-seat Opera House comes amid a wave of artist cancellations that followed the venue’s board of directors deciding to rename the center the Donald J. Trump and John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts. Just a few days after the vote, a new sign with Trump’s name was hung on the exterior of the building, sparking debate about whether an official name change could be made without congressional approval.
That same day, Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio), an ex-officio member of the board, wrote on social media that the vote was not unanimous and that she and others who may have voiced opposition were muted during the call.
Grenell opposed Former members cannot receive votes.
Cancellations soon began to increase; like the Kennedy Center’s rebukes of artists who choose not to perform. Jazz drummer Chuck Redd has withdrawn from his annual Christmas Eve concert; jazz supergroup Cookers canceled their New Year’s Eve show; New York-based Doug Varone and the Dancers withdrew from performances in April; and Grammy Award-winning banjo player Béla Fleck wrote on social media in February that he would no longer play at the venue.
But WNO’s departure represents a new level of artist departure. The company’s name is synonymous with the Kennedy Center and has served as the complex’s artistic center of gravity since the building’s initial opening.
